


Fishing isn't a real date

by karcathy



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Tooth Rotting Fluff, idiot boys in love, idiot boys who need a little help from their Mom Friend (tm) to actually be in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-13 02:37:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13560912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karcathy/pseuds/karcathy
Summary: Noctis has a very large, very obvious crush on Prompto. It takes a little prodding from Ignis to get him to actually do something about it.





	Fishing isn't a real date

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for Britta because I love her

Prompto was, objectively, very attractive. Between his surprisingly muscular arms and his sweet freckled face, he was a mixture of hot and cute that Noctis found dizzying. He felt swept up by him, washed away into something he had absolutely no control over. It was exhilarating, unlike anything else he’d ever experienced, and he was completely, utterly lost. Of course, it took him some time to realise that his feelings went beyond the usual level of affection for a close friend and veered sharply into the dangerously romantic territory of wanting to count his freckles and kiss every single one. And even then, he was entirely lost on how to make the freckle-kissing dream into a reality. 

“Noct, I’m bored,” Prompto said, from his position upside-down on the sofa. 

Noctis looked up from his seat on the beanbag chair, quickly tapping the pause button. “Want me to play something else?” he asked, flicking through to the save menu, “I’ve got some multiplayer games.”

Prompto sighed deeply. 

“We could watch something?” Noctis suggested, closing the game and turning to face his friend. 

Prompto just shrugged, which in his current position looked odd, to say the least. 

“Well, what _do_ you want to do?” Noctis said, with an exasperated sigh. 

“I don’t _know_ ,” said Prompto. He huffed, blowing the hair off his face. 

“Well, if you don’t want to watch a movie or play a game, I’m out of suggestions,” Noctis said, dropping his controller carelessly to the floor. 

“We could go out,” Prompto suggested. 

Noctis pulled a face. “And do _what_?” he asked. 

“Go to a bar?” Prompto’s sweet, excited expression seemed entirely inappropriate for that suggestion.

“We’re 16,” Noctis said, rolling his eyes. 

“Go for a run?”

“Ew, no.”

“Go… for a walk?”

“Prompto,” Noctis said, “No.”

“We can get dinner, then.”

“I guess,” Noctis said, shrugging one shoulder, “Where do you want to eat, then?”

“I don’t know,” Prompto said, making Noctis roll his eyes again, “You pick.”

“Fine,” Noctis said, standing up, “Let’s go, then.”

Noctis took them to his favourite fast food place, and claimed a booth in the corner while Prompto went up to order for them. He leaned his head against the wall, watching Prompto through half-closed eyes. He was leaning against the counter, laughing at something the cashier had said with easy charm. The smile on his face was bright and infectious, enough that Noctis felt himself smiling slightly from across the room. Prompto continued to talk animatedly as their order was served, hanging back for a moment before bringing the tray over where Noctis was sitting. 

“She’s cute, huh?” Prompto said, glancing back over his shoulder to flash a smile at the cashier. 

“Huh?” Noctis dragged his eyes away from Prompto, focusing on the girl behind the counter for the first time. “I guess,” he said, shrugging and reaching for his burger. 

“Think I got a shot with her?” Prompto asked, leaning conspiratorially across the table.

“What? I don’t know,” Noctis said, trying to ignore the jealous stab in his gut, “Did you ask her?”

Prompto laughed, blushing. “No way!” he said, hiding his face behind his burger. 

“Why not?” he asked, carefully opening his burger and sliding the lettuce and tomato out. 

“Are you kidding?” Prompto said, his face beginning to resemble the discarded tomato. 

“What?” he said, frowning, “Tell her you think she’s cute. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Uh, she could _hear_ me!” Prompto sputtered.

“You’re impossible,” Noctis said, shaking his head. Not that he was any better; he would rather die - no, he would rather eat this tomato than tell Prompto he thought he was cute. 

“You go tell her, then,” said Prompto, taking a bite of his burger. 

“What, you want me to tell her you think she’s cute?” Noctis snorted, “That’s a little pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Shut up,” Prompto said. His ears were pink. 

“Never,” Noctis said, with a smile. 

“Why don’t you ask her out, then?” Prompto said, nodding his head towards the counter. 

“Because it’s not me that thinks she’s cute,” he said, rolling his eyes, “I’m not interested.”

“Really? Well, what kind of girls _are_ you into?” he asked, leaning in. 

“I don’t know,” Noctis said, shrugging, his cheeks heating up a little. _Not girls_ , he thought, _just you_.

“Come on, you must have some idea! What about Lady Lunafreya?” He waved his burger emphatically, scattering crumbs across the table. 

“Luna?” Noctis said, wrinkling his nose, “I don’t know, I’ve never thought about her like that.”

“Oh man, really?” Prompto said, his eyebrows shooting up, “But she’s so beautiful!”

“I mean, I guess,” he said. He took a bite of his burger as an excuse to avoid eye contact, and to avoid telling Prompto who he _really_ thought was beautiful. 

“Come on, give me something!” Prompto said pleadingly, “You must have had a crush on someone, right?”

Noctis just shrugged. He tended to avoid other people under most circumstances. He expected the crush on Prompto was at least partially born of the fact that he was one of the few people he actually spent any length of time with. 

“So boring,” said Prompto, with a sigh, “And you always know about _all_ of my crushes.”

“Yeah, because you’ll tell anyone who’s listening,” Noctis snorted, “And you get a new one every five minutes.”

“Not true!” Prompto objected, “That is so unfair.”

“You talked to _her_ for less than five minutes,” Noctis pointed out, “You don’t know anything about her, and you still managed to develop a crush.”

“I’m just a very loving person,” Prompto said.

Noctis laughed - the kind of genuine laugh only Prompto and breaking something he really shouldn’t be could get out of him. 

“You’ll understand one day,” Prompto said, pouting. 

Noctis just smiled, trying not to stare at his mouth. It wasn’t his fault that it looked so eminently kissable. 

***

The next day was a Friday, and he spent the evening with Ignis - or, he spent the evening playing video games whilst Ignis cooked and cleaned for him. He appreciated the company more than anything else; as much as he’d like to have Prompto around all the time, there were always times when the two couldn’t be together. 

“Hey, Specs,” Noctis said, stepping into the kitchen and leaning against the counter, “What do you think about Prompto?”

“Your friend from school?” Ignis asked, looking up from the stove, “Or is he your boyfriend now?”

“You- what?” Noctis said, all of his blood rushing to his face, “No, he’s not my boyfriend. What the hell?”

“Oh. Well, you’re obviously quite taken with him,” Ignis said, as casually as if he was commenting on the weather. 

“How obviously?” Noctis asked, his stomach dropping. 

“Hmm,” Ignis said, “Well, I daresay I do pay closer attention to you than most. It _is_ my job, after all.”

“Do you think he knows?” asked Noctis, dread filling his voice.

“Perhaps,” Ignis said, with a small shrug, “Unless he happens to be particularly dense.”

“Oh, gods,” Noctis said, sitting on the nearest stool and burying his face in his hands, “What do I do, Ignis?”

“Just be yourself,” Ignis advised, taking two plates down from the cupboard, “And maybe ask him on a date some time.”

***

_Be yourself_. Well, that was easy, in theory. Who else was he supposed to be? Actually asking Prompto out, however, sounded hard. Every way he tried to approach it sounded forced and awkward, and none of the traditional first date activities appealed to him. Which is how he ended up asking Prompto to go fishing with him on Saturday, refusing to look him in the eye for the entire exchange. Prompto had agreed readily, which was a relief. And now, here he was, outside Noctis’s apartment at an hour he would normally refuse to acknowledge existed, his clothes more fashionable than practical. Noctis himself was wearing cargo pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt under a utility vest with pockets full of various odds and ends of fishing paraphernalia, unemptied since it was first used. 

“You ready?” he asked, unable to hide the smile on his face as he hefted his tackle box in one hand and swung his rod over his other shoulder. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” said Prompto, suppressing a yawn, “Lead the way.”

They had to drive to reach the fishing spot. Noctis had only recently gained his license, and Prompto kept a white-knuckled hand on the edge of his seat for the entire journey, despite the fact that Noctis didn’t crash into anything and only had a couple of near-misses, which he laughed off easily. He managed to park the car without any major incidents, and led the way from there to the lake at an eager clip, for once outpacing Prompto. He stopped by the water’s edge to set up his rod, then cast it lazily into the water. 

“So, what now?” Prompto asked, peering into the water. 

“Now we wait,” Noctis said, settling back into an easy stance as he waited for a bite. 

And waited. 

And waited. 

Prompto got bored quickly, pacing back and forth along the shore. He managed to hold off surprisingly long before commenting - there had been almost 5 full minutes of silence before he broke it.

“I was hoping for something epic,” he said, “You know, a mortal struggle between man and fish.”

“Be patient,” Noctis said, with a small smile, “Fishing takes time.”

“But it’s already been _ages_ ,” Prompto whined. 

Noctis was saved from answering by a tug on the line, drawing his full attention back to fishing. 

“Oh!” Prompto said, watching the water, “You got something!”

Noctis ignored him, focusing on the fish. 

“Wow, looks like a big one!” Prompto said. 

The water splashed as the fish struggled against its captor. Noctis continued to reel, leaning his weight against the fish. 

“You think you can land it?” Prompto continued to chatter away, oblivious to the fact that Noctis was ignoring him completely. Eventually, Noctis landed the fish - which must have weighed close on 50 pounds - with an exhilarated smile. 

“Wow, that thing’s massive!” said Prompto, skipping over to admire it. 

“Pretty cool, right?” Noctis said, with a small smile. 

“Let me get a picture!” Prompto pulled out his camera, snapping shots of Noctis with his catch, ending on a selfie of the two of them grinning. 

“Send me those later, yeah?” Noctis said.

“You got it!”

They spent the rest of the day fishing, but Noctis didn’t catch anything else exciting. Prompto quickly got bored again, and Noctis tuned out his complaints to focus on the fish. Eventually, the light was fading, and Prompto’s complaints about his stomach were beginning to grate on him.

“All right,” he said, flicking his line out of the water, “Let’s head back.”

“Finally!” Prompto said, skipping over to help him with his gear, “I’m starving to death.”

“I’ll get Ignis to cook this guy up for us,” Noctis said, indicating the large fish he’d caught that morning. 

“Bet you I could eat the whole thing,” Prompto said, leading the water back to the car, “Aren’t you hungry?”

“I guess,” Noctis said, his stomach rumbling, “I hadn’t thought about it.”

“You really love fishing, huh?”

“Yeah, I do.” Noctis didn’t notice the small smile on his face at that, but Prompto did. 

Ignis was more than happy to cook the fish they brought him, his eyes lighting up when he saw it. Prompto eagerly regaled him with the tale of Noctis’s triumph over the giant beast, with Noctis happy to watch him quietly and occasionally agree. Eventually, Prompto had finished his story and headed for the TV, chattering about the movie they just _had_ to watch tonight. Noctis was stopped from following by a knowing look and a quiet word from Ignis. 

“So,” Ignis said, with a long, calculating stare, “Was that your attempt at asking him on a date?”

“No,” Noctis said, flushing, “Well. All right. Maybe.”

“Noctis,” Ignis said, bracing himself against the counter, “Watching you fish is an absolutely _terrible_ idea for a date.”

“It’s not _that_ bad,” Noctis protested, “He enjoyed himself! Mostly. Some of the time.”

“The whole point of a date is to pay some attention to each other, Noct,” Ignis said, making Noctis scowl. 

“Well, what else do you want me to do?” he said, pouting. 

“Maybe a date wasn’t the right idea for you two,” Ignis allowed, tapping his index finger thoughtfully against his lower lip, “You’re already friends, after all, and a date is more an exercise in getting to know one another than anything else.”

“Okay. So…?”

“You should tell him how you feel,” Ignis said decisively, turning back to the stove. 

Noctis stood there dumbly for a moment. 

“Well?” Ignis said, after a few seconds of silence, “Aren’t you going to tell him?”

“Specs, I can’t _do_ that,” Noctis said, sounding pained. 

“Why not?”

“Well, I mean,” Noctis stumbled over his words, his tongue suddenly feeling too large for his mouth, “What if he doesn’t like me back?”

Ignis gave him a pitying look. “Noctis,” he said, “You are both as bad as each other.”

“What- you mean- he?” Noctis sputtered, his eyes darting over to the back of Prompto’s head, “Has he told you?”

Ignis just gave him another look, one which very clearly said he didn’t need to. After another beat of silence, he sighed. “You are quite honestly hopeless,” he said, abandoning their dinner to shepherd Noctis towards the sofa.

“What are you doing?” Noctis said, frowning at Ignis as he forcefully pushed Noctis onto the seat next to Prompto. 

“Boys, you need to talk,” Ignis said, ignoring the growing look of horror on Noctis’s face, “Prompto, Noctis has feelings of a romantic inclination towards you. Now, please, sort yourselves out while I finish dinner.”

He strode back into the kitchen, leaving Noctis to deal with this on his own. 

“Oh, wow,” Prompto said, his face a little pink, “Did he just say you have a crush on me?”

“Shut up,” Noctis said, refusing to make eye contact as his own face turned bright red. 

“Oh, _wow_ ,” Prompto said, “You do! That’s amazing!”

“Shut _up_ ,” Noctis said, a little more emphatically, “This is so unbelievably embarrassing.”

“This is amazing,” Prompto said, a grin splitting his face, “You _like_ me!”

“I’m going to kill him,” Noctis said, glaring over at the kitchen.

“Oh, please don’t,” said Prompto, “I can’t thank him if he’s dead.”

“You’re next on my list,” said Noctis, transferring his glare to Prompto. 

“That’s cute,” he said, still grinning, “You’re cute.”

Noctis just glowered at him, pulling his legs up so he was sitting cross-legged on the sofa. 

“You know I like you too, right?” Prompto said, leaning against the back of the sofa and tilting his head, “I had a major crush on you before we were friends.”

“You’re kidding,” Noctis said, his eyes wide, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t _you_ say anything?” Prompto countered, playfully shoving his knee. 

“You’re the worst,” Noctis said, pouting. 

“I know,” said Prompto, smiling as he leaned forwards, “Hey.”

“What?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Noctis was pretty sure he would catch fire if his face got any hotter. Physically unable to make himself answer out loud, he nodded silently. Prompto smiled, his hand catching Noctis’s chin and tilting it towards him as he pressed their lips together in a soft kiss. 

“About time,” Ignis said, from somewhere behind them, and Noctis whipped his head around fast enough to crack it against Prompto’s with a resounding _thunk_. “Dinner’s ready,” he continued, completely unphased.

“One thing,” Prompto said, hand out to stop Noctis from standing, “Fishing isn’t a real date, Noct.”

Noctis huffed. “Worked, didn’t it?”

“No,” Prompto said, but he was smiling too widely for it to be true. 


End file.
